Going Amish
I’ll begin my spring cleanse Thursday evening. These last few days I’ve been prepping myself by drinking more herbal tea, eating more veggies, and avoiding (OK, reducing) caffeine, sugar, dairy, alcohol, and processed foods, including white flour. I’m eating with an eye toward food combination: veggies and carb or veggies and protein, but not carbs and protein at the same meal; fruit apart from meals. The cleanse will be simple: a few days of Fruits and Veggies Only, followed by a few days of produce and whole grains, and then adding protein near the end.
I’ve been told that a dietary cleanse is not just a dietary cleanse. Even as the crap gets dumped from the intestines, so the crap gets dumped from the psyche. How will stress feel unmedicated by chocolate? What happens when I can’t attend the string of coworker birthday lunches I don’t really want to attend anyway? How can I nourish myself better? I wonder what life will be like for 10 days, stripped down and simplified, ordered around food. I’m nervous that it will be difficult finding time for the food preparation required (homemeade vegetable soup takes longer than pasta!), that I’ll be hungry and irritable for over a week, but I suspect life will seem easier when I order my days around nourishment.
I feel like I’m embarking upon some strange voyage and I’m not sure I have enough ship biscuits. Clearly, I will need to journal during my experiment. This, however, is not the place. I’d like to cleanse myself, a little, from the chattering of the Internet—I need to monkify, to Amish-up--for the next couple of weeks. When it’s all over and I emerge with glowing skin, butterfly wings, and a shiny new aura, maybe I’ll tell you about it.
Which brings me to...
Wednesday Writing Assignment
As I prepare to cleanse, please tell me about a time of cleansing, purification, or simplification in your life.
posted by kStyle @ 9:56 PM
4 Comments:
As recently as two years or so ago, there were some nights when I'd be watching three hours of television and taping two more: I'd be coming home from work, watching something I'd taped the previous day and then watching something airing that evening in real time. The odd thing was that I didn't even want to be watching that much TV; most of it was shows I'd grown accustomed to, and couldn't bear to part with. But it quickly spun somewhat out of control.
So I decided basically that I'd see certain series through their runs, but when they ended, would not replace them on my schedule, and in so doing, would gradually whittle down the amount of time I spent in front of the small screen. I even stopped watching certain shows that had become habitual but which, I had to admit in those moments of real honesty with myself, bored me, and felt more like chores than entertainment. Out went "24," out went "The West Wing" (after Sorkin stopped writing it, it wasn't any good anyway).
But my plan didn't pan out so well, for in came "The Amazing Race" (the best thing on TV, or close to it, even though Rob and Amber didn't win), and in came "Joan of Arcadia" (surprisingly compelling and honestly spiritual). Out went "Will & Grace" (not funny anymore) but in came "Desperate Housewives" (I could give it up if not for the singular pleasure watching Felicity Huffman on TV each week). Overall I've tried not to get involved in new series, and have successfully avoided the siren song of "Lost" and "House," checking in for a couple of episodes to see the cause of the fuss, but ultimately just dabbling.
I now have at least two, often three days a week where I watch nothing, and on most other days only one or two programs. And besides, "Alias," having hit a new stride in its fourth season, is satisfying enough to give me a good three days of tele-nourishment anyway. It's all about balance, you know. Simpler is better.
Eric: I agree, all about balance. TV can be a dark temptress.
Emma: What a story! May I ask what your academic field was? You've reminded me of a basic tai chi/energetic principle: you have to let go to receive.
Ann: I think it counts. Why don't you follow through on your simplification plans, if you don't mind my asking? And...I'm glad you like the new look! It's actually a new standard Blogger template.
I'm tyring to let go of most of my "supposed to"s. It's a problem, the "I want to watch TV, but I should go for a walk". But usually, I want to go for the walk and I definitely want to do my cleanse diet, so...
Are "shoulds" especially troublesome for people brought up Catholic?
I think the "shoulds" depend on what your goals are. If a "should" doesn't align wth your personal goals, then don' worry aboudit.
Yes, HAM! ARRRRRR!
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